Match preview: Borussia Dortmund Welcomes FC Augsburg

Borussia Dortmund soldiers on amidst a very disappointing second half of the 2020/21 season with a home match this Saturday, January 29, against FC Augsburg.

Sitting seventh with 29 points, it’s been a rough time for Die Schwarzgelben. After winning the first two matches following the brief winter break, Dortmund have gotten one point in three matches, and they haven’t exactly looked good in either game. The defense has been open, the midfield has been passive, and the attackers maddeningly inconsistent. And the team is in the midst of another bout of injuries; Axel Witsel (Achilles), Thorgan Hazard (muscular) and Dan-Axel Zagadou (muscle fiber) have all been sidelined this season with lengthy injuries, leaving BVB thin at multiple positions.

Augsburg snapped a three-match losing streak with a 2-1 win over Union Berlin. Augsburg look to sweep Dortmund this season and move up from their 12th-place position in the Bundesliga. Former Schalke player and Dortmund-killer Daniel Caligiuri leas the team with five goals in the Bundesliga, including one back in their September win over Dortmund.

How Might They Line-Up?

I don’t see much changing for Dortmund regarding their 4-2-3-1 formation and line-up. And not because it’s been a world-beating line-up and formation, because it hasn’t; it’s because of injuries to key players. Maybe you could move Sancho over to the left wing and slot Gio Reyna in the right wing, but Brandt actually performed admirably against Borussia Monchengladbach, and Reyna hasn’t been playing particularly well as a winger.

As for Augsburg, they have gone with the same 3-4-3 formation for most of the season with some changes to the XI here-and-there. Rafal Gikiewicz is the man between the sticks for Augsburg, and he is shielded by Felix Uduokhai, Jeffrey Gouweleeuw and Reece Oxford. Iago, Rani Khedira, Carlos Gruezo, Caligiuri man the midfield. Ruben Vargas and Andre Hahn will flank Alfred Finnbogason in the attack.

Prediction

I desperately want Dortmund to come into this game firing on all cylinders and demolish Augsburg, but I haven’t seen anything from Dortmund in recent matches that indicates this will happen.